Medicos are avoiding critical care streams

ASSAULTS ON DOCS

Medicos are avoiding critical care streams

FRONTLINE WARRIORS? Association Says Aspiring Docs Are Opting For Dermatology, Radiology To Avoid Stressful Confrontations

Sunitha.Rao@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru:15.06.2021 

Following repeated instances of doctors being assaulted by irate relatives and friends of patients, many intelligent and deserving medcial students and medicos are choosing specialisations that do not involve emergency care.

“A scared, threatened doctor will eventually learn to safeguard herself. We are already seeing a trend where the most intelligent doctors are not opting for critical care expertise,” say members of Karnataka Association of Resident Doctors (KARD).

Dr Dayanand Sagar, president, KARD, said there has been a steep fall in demand to specialise in critical care and emergency medicine. He said the preference among top MBBS  graduates is for branches like dermatology and radiology which involve a safe working environment, fixed working hours, relaxation from night duty, and continuous work. “But this cannot be seen in PG NEET seat allocation data as no seat goes vacant,” he said.

A top doctor heading an ICU unit in Fortis hospital was allegedly assaulted and abused in filthy language on June 12 by a patient’s relative. A nurse working in the critical care team of the hospital was injured in the incident.

Dr Ganesh Prasad Mudraje, chairperson of the harassment committee, Indian Medical Association, Karnataka state chapter, concurred, saying young and aspiring doctors are hesitating to specialise in critical and emergency care.

“When a top doctor is assaulted, naturally younger doctors feel it could happen to anyone,” Dr Mudraje said. “Bright candidates are choosing engineering over medicine and are shying away from becoming doctors. Though there are stringent laws protecting healthcare workers, they are not effectively implemented. These laws are just paper tigers.”

He said incidents of doctors being attacked are occurring almost every week in Karnataka. He pointed out that on the one hand the government calls doctors frontline workers, but on the other they are becoming victims of assault by patients’ relatives. “There is no need to garland us. Respect our work. The imprint of such incidents will remain in the minds of young doctors,” he said.

JUST NOT DONE: Doctors of Fortis Hospital hold a protest against the attack on a colleague by a relative of a Covid-19 patient in Bengaluru on Monday

FORTIS HOSPITAL DOCS STAGE PROTEST

Doctors at Fortis hospital took out a silent march in front of Puttenahalli police station on Monday, condemning the assault on their colleagues. They handed over a memorandum to police officers.

“We are deeply anguished by the violence that took place in the hospital ICU on Saturday, June 12, 2021, wherein a patient’s relatives attacked a senior doctor and a nurse. While the doctor suffered severe head injuries, the nurse sustained grievous injuries to her abdomen,” Fortis hospital said in a statement.

A male patient admitted to the Covid ICU in Fortis hospital on May 5 tested negative on June 3. However, since he had developed severe lung infection and pneumonia, he was shifted to the non-Covid ICU on June 4. The hospital said the prolonged battle with Covid had weakened the patient and his health showed no improvement despite the best medical care.

“At Fortis, we have zero tolerance for any kind of physical or verbal abuse and we assure strict action will be taken against the defaulter,” the hospital said. TNN